The House will begin debate on Wednesday on a bill that funds several federal agencies for the next fiscal year, including the Justice Department. The measure currently includes a provision that bans the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from requiring gun sellers to report multiple sales of specific types of assault weapons. Hoyer said Democrats will attempt to strike that measure.

But Hoyer, who said he hoped Congress could do something, conceded these new efforts on the spending bill aren't likely to go far.

"I continue not to have high expectations because of past performance," Hoyer said.

The Maryland Democrat also said that the background check measure Democrats have pushed unsuccessfully before "may not have made a difference" in the case of the Friday’s California shooting.

Citing public opinion polls, Hoyer maintained that a majority of Americans back tougher background check measures, but if voters want to see them enacted into law they need to elect more Democrats to Congress.

soundoff(67 Responses)

DLM

We don't have a gun availability problem in the U.S. We have a social violence problem. We have been conditioned to accept violent behavior via the TV, Motion picture, and video game business. All that has taught us that life is cheap,

May 28, 2014 04:18 pm at 4:18 pm |

Steve, New York City

@ Tom D.
Where do you draw the line? Why doesn't the NRA just allow any fool on the street to own a rocket launcher, or maybe plastic explosives - what about nuclear suitcases? Where does it stop??

The miscreant in California killed with knives and guns. Does the fact that he killed some with knives somehow make it a non-issue that the criminally insane have easy access to firearms, simply because the NRA BLOCKS any sensible gun legislation by convincing this country's paranoid imbeciles that ANY change in gun legislation means the end of the 2nd amendment??

I don't understand you pro-NRA extremists. It's like you live on a different planet. Doesn't matter to you how many elementary schools, movie theaters or college sororities get shot up, so long as the NRA and other CRIMINAL CARTELS in Washington keep making money. Heck – at least Mayor Bloomberg was one of the lone few who actually stood up to these sadists.

May 28, 2014 04:19 pm at 4:19 pm |

AlBundy

Gee, gun control on the law abiding citizens. What about the criminals who don't care what laws you pass? God Democrats are the dumbest animals on the face of the earth, especially their liberal sisters and brothers.

May 28, 2014 04:19 pm at 4:19 pm |

James S

So sorry for the losses: But there are plenty of laws already if they were enforced.More laws are NOT THE FIX! Enforcement is....

May 28, 2014 04:19 pm at 4:19 pm |

Ralph

Hoyer is a llar. He knows that the background check measure that Democrats tried to pass before WOULD NOT have prevented this incident. He knows that California's laws are some of the strictest in the nation, and go beyond the Manchkin Toomey bill that was going to prevent relatives from giving guns to one another.

Why does he say "it may not have" when he knows that it wouldn't have? I can tell you why. Because he is a gun grabber, and lies, deception, and fraud are all the gun grabbers have going for them.

And that's why they have to sneak around and try to add their worthless, feel good, do nothing gun control laws to other bills. And, I think they can sense that there is going to be a backlash against them, with their broken promises, and failed laws, and their well funded lie machine.

It is time to say "Enough is enough" to the gun grabbers, and it's time to tell them to shut up, and go away, and let common sense prevail. How many more gun control failures will it take? How many? HOW MANY???

May 28, 2014 04:20 pm at 4:20 pm |

Cowboy Bob

Tired of the democrats exploiting every tragedy to push their anti gun agenda. Liberalism is a mental disorder but I don't think we have that much room in the prison system. California already has the worst gun control laws in the US so there is no need for more legislation in that area. Maybe if we start clearing out death row inmates to show there are consequences for this type of behavior maybe these idiots will stop committing these atrocities. 30-06 shells are only about 75 cents apiece and that is quick and easy. Line um up!!!!!

May 28, 2014 04:21 pm at 4:21 pm |

ryche

After reading this, i have come to the conclusion that all liberals are mentally unstable. They have no clue about the real problem, so they scream guns guns guns... as many posters here have pointed out, 3 were killed by a knife, yet no liberal here is willing to acknowledge that fact.. its just easier to questions someones IQ, based on their politcal beliefs, than to actually drill down to the core problem.. so liberals, you may have the same iq as most republicans, but man you are just too stupid for words..

May 28, 2014 04:21 pm at 4:21 pm |

Mark

Their current strict laws already failed

May 28, 2014 04:22 pm at 4:22 pm |

Brent S

Half of the victims were killed with a knife and no amount of laws and regulations or background checks would have prevented this idiot from killing. Sad, but true. Killers will kill, if not with a knife, maybe a car, or a baseball bat, or some other inanimate object easily accessible at the time. Maybe we should have background checks before allowing someone to buy a car? And we surely should have background checks before electing politicians to office.

May 28, 2014 04:22 pm at 4:22 pm |

peter petersen

there was a time when I lived in California you can buy a gun with just presenting your drivers license and never ALL this killing lets focus on the facts a knives and his car and stop the witch hunt.

May 28, 2014 04:23 pm at 4:23 pm |

ghgf ghghgfhf

No one mentions the 10's of thousands of people killed annually in America as a result of cell phone usage while driving. Instead, the far left wants to vilify guns and use as their narrative the few (as compared to deaths attributed to ladders, hammers, hospital stays, drugs, etc.), that are killed when a few crazies get their hands on a gun (i.e. penalize the millions of responsible gun owners to save a hand-full of victims – sounds like the same rhetoric used to promote ObamaCare). No one is discussing the fact that 50% of the people killed were done so with a knife. Where's the outrage toward knives???? Another phony political excuse to further gun control... PS: Guess if son had been killed by a soccer mom with a cell phone jammed up to her head it would have been okay!!!!

May 28, 2014 04:23 pm at 4:23 pm |

Rich

There is a mid-term election coming up, so the Democratic Party has to make a lot of noise to convince voters why we need to vote them into office so that after the election they can go back to doing nothing but blaming Republicans for all of our problems.

Video games are baby sitters and the violence of people blowing apart and blood and flesh flying all over and parents don't think this is part of the problem....then its the parents that have the problem and film industries are raking in the money and they too could care less.

We need to get to the heart of the matter and make it illegal to kill someone. Countries that have banned murder do not have people killing other people. We all should know that psychopathic killers will obey the law.... Criminals in general obey the law.

If you recognize how crazy the above sentences sound and yet support stripping away rights... Maybe you are crazy?

May 28, 2014 04:29 pm at 4:29 pm |

Chris

I feel bad for this man in the fact that his son died needlessly. However, he is grieving and that will get him some sympathy to what he says, but who is he to tell anyone that nothing was done or that people in government are idiots? He wants gun control laws in place that are already in place in California. How did that do him? The problem isn't the guns. It is the people and society in general. Why is it that we had looser laws in the 50's and 60's, yet there weren't all these killings? What is different? I have a serious problem with these people telling me that I shouldn't have a right to defens myself! I am a law abiding gun owner. I have a conceal carry license, I have never murdered someone. Maybe if some more people were there that had a weapon, they could have killed the shooter before he got to any of them! Maybe he should be saying that.

May 28, 2014 04:31 pm at 4:31 pm |

Mark

He killed 3 people with a knife and 3 people with a gun. Why don't we call it a mass stabbing? Are we going to ban knives? More people die in car accidents each year than by gun violence...why don't we ban cars? People die every year choking on food....start banning food. Don't even get me started on drownings...goodbye water. Where do we draw the line? Why haven't we banned planes and pressure cookers yet...some terrorists used them for unintended purposes and killed people, yet we blame the terrorists and not the object of destruction. How is this different? Blame the person, not the tool.